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Program Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

About the Program

Are there prerequisites to taking these courses?

Yes, students enrolling in any of the mediation courses we offer must have successfully completed a bachelor's degree. If you do not meet this prerequisite, but would still like to enroll in our mediation courses, overrides may be granted on a case-by-case basis by the instructor of each course. Students must complete SOWK 551: Fundamentals of Mediation before enrolling in any of our other specialty courses, as the specialty courses will build directly on the skills learned in the foundation class.

What if I already took a basic conflict resolution or mediation class?

As a transcripted Graduate Certificate, 3 courses totaling 9 credits are required for this certificate. The certificate requires SOWK 551, with no exceptions.

Can I complete the certificate entirely online or entirely face to face?

At this time, the certificate can only be completed online.

Applying Conflict Resolution and Mediation Coursework

What are my next steps after completing my Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution and Mediation?

As the objective of the Conflict Resolution and Mediation Graduate Certificate is to teach students skills that can be used in a variety of settings, our program allows students the flexibility to utilize the skills learned in the ways that fit their professional goals.

Many students would like tools to better solve conflicts they find themselves needing to mitigate in their work, such as managers dealing with disputing employees or social service providers managing disagreements within client systems. Some learners may seek this training to foster healthy resolution to conflicts they find themselves in. Yet other students are interested in providing formal conflict resolution to people in the process of a divorce.

Regardless of how one might like to apply this training, the skills learned in these courses are applicable to countless professional and personal settings, and employers appreciate seeing conflict resolution training as part of anyone's background.

After completing the Fundamentals of Mediation class, can I be a mediator?

The State of Colorado does not regulate who can offer mediation services, and utilizing conflict resolution tools does not require membership in any professional association, but some students may wish to pursue association membership as a professional goal. Students who wish to pursue recognition by an association as a professional mediator are responsible for gaining practice experience required by the association. Please be aware that some states do regulate mediators, so please see the last link under professional organizations if you wish to practice mediation in a state other than Colorado.

Our foundation coursework, provided via SOWK 551: Fundamentals of Mediation, satisfies the industry standard of 40 hours of classroom time, which is one of the requirements usually set by professional conflict resolution associations, in addition to practice hours and professional development. For more information about membership of a professional conflict resolution association, please visit the web pages listed below.